New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter is excited by the huge challenge awaiting him in his first Rugby World Cup final.

Carter, 33, helped the All Blacks to a 20-18 victory over South Africa in their semi-final at Twickenham on Saturday.

The star playmaker missed the 2011 World Cup decider due to a groin injury as New Zealand went on to clinch the title.

But Carter is eager to put that behind him when the All Blacks face either Australia or Argentina on October 31.

"It's pretty exciting. You could probably see the emotion after the game," he said after his side's win over the Springboks.

"It's my fourth World Cup and I've never been involved in a World Cup final before, so I'm pretty excited about that.

"I can't wait to get into training this week and prepare as well as I possibly can. It's why we're here - to give ourselves a chance to win back-to-back World Cups.

"We've given ourselves that chance now by reaching the final. It's not done yet, there's still a huge challenge ahead of us."